Utility meters typically include a metering circuit that is capable of measuring some aspect of a consumed utility commodity and a display that provides visual information regarding the measured consumption. For example, in a typical electricity meter, a metering circuit measures electrical energy delivered to a customer or load, and the display provides visual information regarding the measured energy data. Many modern utility meters employ electronic displays such as LCD or LED displays that are capable of displaying other information in addition to consumption data.
Many modern meters are also configured to communicate with external devices, including local devices external to the meter and remote devices external to the meter. The automatic meter reader is one example of a remote device that may communicate with a utility meter. When a meter is configured for communication with an automatic meter reading device commodity consumption data is delivered from the meter to the automatic meter reading device. Such meters will include a remote communications port which allows the meter to communicate with the remote device. Such remote communications may by wire or wireless transmissions. For example, the remote communications port may be connected to an rf transceiver capable of transmitting and receiving messages in a wireless fashion. As another example, the remote communications port may be connected to a telephone line or the internet, and transmit messages via a cable or other transmission line.
Meters capable of remote communications are typically also adapted for communications with local devices positioned on the exterior of the meter. Accordingly, many utility meters include a local port which allows an individual present at the meter to communicate with the meter without opening the meter. For example, the local port may be an optical port with an IR transceiver positioned in the optical port. With such an IR transceiver, the meter is adapted to communicate with a local device positioned near the meter and having a line-of-sight to the local port.
The term “local device” as used herein is intended to refer to a device configured to communicate with the meter when in contact with the meter, substantially adjacent to the meter, or within a line-of-sight of the meter, such as, for example, an IR device positioned within a few feet of the meter or a magnetic read switch positioned adjacent to the meter. Similarly, the term “local communications” is intended to refer to communications between a meter and a local device. By contrast, a “remote device” is intended to refer to a device that is not in contact with the meter, is not substantially adjacent to the meter, and is not within a line-of-sight of the meter, such as, for example, an rf automatic meter reader positioned hundreds or thousands of feet away from the meter and capable of rf communications with the meter, or a computer located miles away from the meter but connected to the meter via the internet or telephone lines. The term “remote communications” is intended to refer to communications between a meter and a remote device.
Utility meters capable of external communications, including local and remote communications, may include an annunciator which indicates that the meter is communicating with an external device. The annunciator may take the form of a light or some other indicator that shows that the meter is communicating with the external device.
When an individual with a local device is attempting to establish a communication session with a meter over the local port, it can be difficult to discern by looking at the annunciator whether the communication session has been established. In particular, the annunciator may indicate that the meter is communicating with an external device, but will not indicate whether this device is a remote device or a local device. Accordingly, when an individual with a local device is attempting to establish a communication session with the meter over the local port, it can be difficult to distinguish whether an established communication session has been established for the local device, since the same communications indicator is provided for both local and remote communications. Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a utility meter with an improved external communications indicator.